Evangelion: Mala Tempora Currunt
by Lord Sovereign
Summary: Post 3.0. With the triggering of Fourth Impact, the NERV Empire stands poised to complete its conquest of the world. Used by his father, mislead and confused by those who were once his friends, Shinji Ikari finds himself in a world ravaged by ten years of war. In this age of fire and blood, he must not only find the will to live, but simply survive.
1. 1: A Red World

_Admiral's Audio log 1, 9th of December, 2029_

 _"...Where do I begin? Do I even bother? It's not like it will do anything good. Talking about everything that's happened isn't going to magically fix the world... damn it Rits-chan...how is this meant to help my mental stability? Alcohol does that just fine..._

 _Gah, I suppose I shouldn't stall. I guess it would be nice to leave something behind for anyone still alive once this mess is over. If it's ever over...that's a big **if**._

 _My name is Misato Katsuragi, and I am Rear Admiral of the Phoenix fleet, which is part of a paramilitary organization called WILLE, supposedly under the command of the Perstoan Republic. My sole superior officer is Admiral Ryoji Kaji and I operate with a great deal of freedom. For a decade, we have been fighting what many see as a hopeless battle._

 _Our name, however, should be a good indication of why we continue to fight. It is Man's will to survive that may be what saves him in the end, not the Empire's mindless, zealous dogma, nor the Confederacy's naïve devotion to liberty._

 _Damn it I need to get to the point, I'm dawdling on the details. And considering that I hate being bored and being boring..._

 _There have already been time capsules made about Second Impact and what followed. Some of the more studious among you may recognize me as the commanding officer of the Evangelion units. A role...I failed horrendously at._

 _Oh there I go again, wallowing in self-pity over my mistakes. As if that would make anything better._

 _It is Third Impact which I'm going to try and document for your convenience. It is only through WILLE after all, that mankind has even pieced together just what the hell was done to it, so I might as well add my worth._

 _It was November the 18th, 2015. Through a series of events, too convoluted and numerous to describe all at once, an insane group called SEELE, and their at the time pawn Gendo Ikari, triggered the most disastrous event in our history. Through the use of Evangelion Unit 01 interacting with the core of an Angel, they erased near two and half billion people from the face of the Earth, and rendered much of our once beautiful planet sterile._

 _I myself was at ground zero for both Impacts...Damn, I hope that doesn't become a running trend with my life._

 _As a former pawn of NERV, myself and a few dozen others escaped the grasp of Gendo Ikari and made our way to the mainland. In the years to come, I would only see Japan, my birth place, once again and that is an occasion I really want to forget. Un-fucking fortunately, no amount of drink seems capable for that job._

 _Be quiet, Commander Ibuki. This is my log, I swear if I want to._

 _We and the other survivors managed to live a few years of peaceful scrounging and scavenging, all the while new governments came about. We tried to rebuild our world, only for a new horror to come and tear everything down, one that was legion and nigh unstoppable in its tyrannical ferocity._

 _Not more Angels, or anything of SEELE's grotesque designs, but the beginning of the NERV Empire's nightmarish reign._

 _After ten years of war, stalling or bringing them to a draw is the best we've been able to do. The one time we went on the offensive...(ahem) sorry, off track again._

 _As it was in 2015, Man stands on the brink of oblivion. What we need is a game changer, and it seems against all hope we might have it._

 _After all these years...we've found Unit 01. It's been kept in some strange sarcophagus for who knows how long, in constant orbit. In a few days it'll come close enough for low atmospheric intercept. With the power of an Eva, we might just be able to get this creaking tub to fly if Rits-chan's calculations are right._

 _I'm sending Pilots Shikinami and Makinami up to get it. We're prepared to face whatever escorts it has, but against two Evas not even an Abaddon stands a chance. I know Asuka-chan will be conflicted about it, as the last time she saw that thing...damn it, why didn't I screen it more? There were so many other scans we could have done...no...I can't keep doing that to myself._

 _The Republic wants control over this operation, but I can't let that happen; WILLE and only WILLE, can be trusted with this sort of power. NERV shall be brought down by our hand and when this war is done, we will destroy all Evangelion technology. There will be no risk to future generations._

 _Also...I have to see it._

 _Evangelion Unit 01 may be the key to victory in this war, but I hate the idea of pulling_

 _ **his** tomb down. Heh, a little part of me is glad he's dead. He won't have to see any of this, what we've become because of him and his father. I don't know what he'd make of me, and I sure as hell don't know what I'd make of him...wouldn't that be awkward, seeing him again after fourteen years, after everything that's happened...oh there I go again. I'm only forty-three, I shouldn't be going senile just yet._

 _It just…it all seems so long ago. And still, I remember the smile of that boy who shared my home, clear as day. It's on the behalf of that smile, and a whole load other things, that I'll never give in to the megalomania of Gendo Ikari, his tyranny, and whatever he and his buddies are planning._

 _I will fight, I will win, and then I'll probably have to take a boring desk job after that...ugh, as if I need to feel more depressed._

 _Is that enough, Commander Ibuki? Good...how do I turn this stupid thing off-"_

XXX

 _25th of December 2029 AD, NERV Empire, Malkuth, formerly known as NERV Central..._

The red ground shook. Mighty footsteps, hundreds of them, made it seem as if the world were being split apart. A gargantuan, black armoured hand reached down and with surprising tenderness, picked up a battered entry plug. A finger pulled upon the top of it, only to find the plug vacant.

"No sign of her, sir." The pilot of the Imperial Canan Series Evangelion, a sergeant, reported to his commander. His voice was etched with worry.

 _"Damn it…keep looking."_ His commander responded.

"Yes, sir." The sergeant nodded then gestured for the other four Evas under his command. "All of you, sweep the area. No weapons fire."

 _"Yes, sir!"_

XXX

A VTOL streaked through the illuminated by starlight skyline of what was once known as Tokyo-3. Soon enough, it was joined by an escort of six of its kind, all bearing red leaf symbols on a black background.

Ahead of them was a vast construct of some black material, seemingly shrouding the world in darkness. From this shadow emerged dagger like flying vessels coated in battleship grey paint, the hum of their positron engines making it feel as if the air itself was vibrating.

Eight of these vast battlecruisers and their compliment of fighters, along with dozens of smaller, similarly designed destroyers, _Kentrons_ , maintained a defensive ring of iron around the recently uncovered weapon with which they would cast down WILLE, the so-called "Perstoan Republic" it supported, and the foolish "European Confederacy," who valued their petty freedoms too much to survive.

There had been a battle here, nothing compared to the one four years ago, but brutal enough, the ruined remains of multiple Evangelions being a testament to that. In fact, the VIP residing upon the VTOL was metaphorically scratching his head as to why they had scarcely been involved in so important an operation, one which had claimed Units 06, 09, and 13.

The Emperor's orders, however, were absolute and it was not the place of his soldiers to disobey. They were not to make their presence felt.

The _Jericho_ class fighter/bomber docked with the fleet's flagship, a five-hundred-metre-long _Abaddon_ class battleship, designated by purple stripes. It gently folded in its wings and set itself down in the hanger, security clamps activating immediately after landing. The rear ramp slid down, and a dozen individuals coated in black armour and capes issued forth.

Said armour was fully enclosing, generating a weak energy shield so as to provide extra protection. Tubes within them would connect to the wearer's veins, pumping them full of adrenaline and, when necessary, morphine.

The men who bore this armour were enhanced super soldiers some seven feet tall, so one could be forgiven for shivering upon seeing them.

The leading one, however, the one with white stripes so as to designate his importance, put the fear of Mother Lilith in the hearts of NERV marines, technicians, seamen, and officers alike.

Chancellor Fuyutsuki may have been the Emperor's right hand as the man who made the state function, but he, Saleos, Lord General of the Imperial Nephilim Shock Legions, was the mailed fist which pounded the Empire's enemies into an unrecognizable paste.

An officer, whose stripes designated him as a Lieutenant, saluted the Lord General with a form that was on the verge of shaking.

"My Lord, the Emperor awaits you on the bridge." The man's face was ashen with fear.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Be about your business," Saleos did not say, but **commanded** , brushing the man out of the way as if he were a feather.

The various servicemen of the Navy respectfully stood aside as he strode through the various corridors that would lead him to the command deck. There was nothing aesthetically pleasing about the interior of these vessels. In fact, the same could be said of NERV architecture in general. Utilitarianism was their watchword; anything more would be seen as extravagant, hence why the corridors were grey, with harsh and artificial lighting.

Passing through the final set of electric sliding doors, at which he left his guards, Saleos found himself on the battleship's bridge, surrounded by beeping computers and various grey uniformed officers chattering away.

Standing above them all, with even the Admiral respectfully staying below him, gloved hands pocketed and visor fixed upon his 62-year-old eyes, was the Emperor of NERV himself, his faithful Chancellor by his side.

The Lord General dropped to one knee before his overlord, but even then his size was imposing. As was to be expected of a Nephilim, a human unnaturally enhanced for one thing: war.

"My Emperor. I came as swiftly as I could." He said.

"I would expect nothing less from you, Lord Saleos." Gendo Ikari's posture was totally relaxed, not facing one of his most favoured instruments so as to preserve his air of superiority. He let the silence hang for a few moments, before speaking again.

"You question my deployment orders?"

"Yes, my Emperor. I hear the Wunder itself participated in the previous battle. Had any elements of the Navy or my Legions been there, I would have served Katsuragi's head to you-" Saleos fell silent as the Emperor raised his hand.

"No. It was imperative that the trigger remained unaware of current events. I had thought WILLE would have filled him in on some facts...but I overestimated their intelligence. Oh, Captain Katsuragi...how you have aided me on this day." Gendo's mouth twisted into a microscopic smile.

Gesturing with his gloved hand at the recently uncovered Black Moon, he couldn't help but feel something akin to enthusiasm. All was falling into place.

"This is a triumph that shall see the Empire take dominion over the Earth and save all Mankind. I assure you, Lord Saleos...the risk was necessary."

"I do not doubt you, my Emperor. I just feared for your safety and that of the capital. Allowing WILLE forces through our lines, to come this far into our territory...to Malkuth itself...I wouldn't want the populace to worry." The Lord General felt his stomach churn, thinking of those that were most precious to him being left undefended.

"Your family was perfectly safe. The citizenry was never in danger, I assure you." Chancellor Fuyutsuki gently offered, somewhat soothing the fears of the enhanced human, gaining a grateful, "thank you, Chancellor."

After a long pause, Saleos licked his alabaster lips, thinking through what he would say next. Clearly, the Emperor was waiting for him.

"I presume however, that I was not simply called here to be filled in?"

Gendo nodded, pleased as ever with the intelligence of his finest tool.

"WILLE deployed all their active Evas in the previous battle. Whilst they recovered one of their Pilots and the wrecks of Units 02 and 08, Shikinami was left behind. Considering that the trigger and Rei were not found in their respective plugs...I have little doubt she is trying to escort them back to enemy lines." His words caused some of the men on the bridge to snap their gaze upwards, eyebrows drawing together.

"They have her Highness?" Saleos's mouth started to feel very dry as his stomach churned.

"Indeed. They will most likely be heading for WILLE Outpost Alpha. Take Maveth Squadronand find them. Recover Rei if you can, but terminate the rest and annihilate any remaining enemy forces on the Fatherland's soil." If Gendo was troubled by the absence of his "heir", then he didn't show it.

"As you wish…but…what of your son-"

"He is of no further use to the Empire. Do not allow the enemy to utilize him."

"It shall be done, my Emperor. Rest assured, I will return your daughter to you unharmed." The Nephilim bowed his head, blinking in disbelief for a few moments, before swiftly marching off the bridge and back to his VTOL. A little part of him feeling uncomfortable with the task he was assigned. Destroying the outpost was necessary to be sure, as was disposing of Shikinami, but to murder the Emperor's own flesh and blood?

 _My life is service, but if he's willing to kill his own son...sacrifice his own daughter...then what isn't too much for him?_

As that billowing black cape disappeared through the electronic sliding doors, Gendo kept his enhanced vision fixed on the unearthed Black Moon, the ark which carried Mother Lilith to this world so long ago. His mind methodically went over all that was yet to transpire, and the ultimate result of his decades old plan.

His Grand Scenario.

"Does it not trouble you? Signing the death warrant for your only child?" Chancellor Fuyutsuki quietly chastised his former student.

"His purpose has been served." Gendo responded, icily.

"What of Rei then? She means a great deal to the populace..."

"I humour them at my own pleasure, but I will not allow their personal desires to interfere with the scenario. If she has betrayed me...she will be punished. A daughter should not disobey her father after all."

Kozo Fuyutsuki bowed his head in resignation, the other NERV officers within earshot casting unnerved looks over their shoulders.

 _Ikari...she is their Princess. As far as they are concerned,_ _ **she is the future**_ _of the Empire. Not just some doll to be discarded..._

"Very well, my Emperor."

The Emperor looked his political right hand in the eye, a privilege very few got in the Empire.

"Worry not. The end of the war draws near, Sensei. Only a few more pieces need fall into place..." Gendo produced one of his unsettling smiles as he watched his engineers begin landing on the Black Moon, to prepare it for the purpose he envisaged.

 _Soon Yui...soon we shall be together again. Just wait a little longer..._

XXX

It is the cusp of the year 2030, and Humanity is in more peril than it's ever been before. The ruined remnants of planet Earth have been fought over constantly in an unending and nightmarish struggle for survival. Now, after Fourth Impact, the NERV Empire stands poised to sweep aside the European Confederacy and the old implacable enemy, the Perstoan Republic, to bring "order" to the defiled world.

At least...that is what Emperor Ikari states his goal to be.

It is into this world marred by tragedy, death, and misery, that a young boy who'd only sought to save the girl he loved, and put right what once went wrong, must not only find the will to live, but simply survive.


	2. 2: Across the Dead Land

_December 26th, 2029, Nagoya region, old Japan, deep within Imperial territory_

"Get up!" A sharp voice roused him from sleep. Shinji kept his eyes shut, praying she'd leave him to rot. He deserved nothing less.

A foot nudged him hard in the stomach. Shinji could **feel** her tension from that small action alone. It was obvious that Asuka was restraining her want to end him, which confounded the boy to no end. He was just excess baggage that would slow her down, so why not cut his miserable life short?

"You've been asleep for fourteen years, Baka. You're staying awake in this hell like the rest of us." Snarling, she yanked Shinji up by his hair and forced him to look at her. Cerulean orbs quailed before a single sapphire.

"Ugh." Sickened, she allowed her old "friend" to fold back in on himself like a garden chair. Despite all her various ordeals, she'd never succumbed to despair like this.

All Asuka Langley Shikinami had known for ten years was constant and unending war. There was little time for tears, remorse or mourning even when they were winning. Now, there was only preparation for when she'd have to kill again.

Yet still she stood after all that, still fighting despite any sense of normality having been destroyed long ago. The fact that all it took was a single loss to utterly break this brat...

 _Pathetic. You make me_ _ **sick.**_ Her lip quivered.

Forcing down her temper for another time, Asuka stamped out the remaining embers of yesterday's fire. The Sun was already ascending into the heavens, its golden light being a beautiful sight.

Unfortunately, she couldn't let her other eye bask in its glow, being concealed under her _Angelic Sealing_ eyepatch. She longed to be rid of it, but Shinji's actions, or rather inaction, had ensured it would never come off.

Then, whilst she lay broken on an operating table, he killed the world for another. He'd ended everything she knew for someone else after not raising a finger to save her. It had stung then and continued to sting now.

Running a hand through her strawberry blonde mane, Asuka recalled the chain of disastrous events that landed them here.

 _Went into space, woke him up, attacked by NERV, idiot walks straight into the enemy's hands and a couple days later starts Fourth Impact. Should have just left him up there..._ She took a deep and irritated breath. Ruminating on "what might have been" was a bad idea.

Speaking of "bad ideas", the former Captain of the defunct European Air Force glanced at her other "excess baggage." Looking out at the world with a lifeless ruby gaze was Rei-Q, the most recent of the Ayanami series.

Why **it** was here, Asuka had no idea. The albino simply popped up out of nowhere whilst she'd been retrieving Shinji and followed them ever since.

Although she maintained a vigil for any hint of hostility, the clone had yet to cause trouble. It was insulting though, that this mockery should stand here when an individual Asuka respected was long dead.

"Time to go. If you can't keep up that's your problem, not mine. Who knows, the Empire might find you before you starve to death. Is that understood?" She glowered at Rei, who murmured a simple "I understand."

Satisfied, Asuka set her sapphire gaze back upon the still unmoving Shinji. Stalking over to him, she grabbed his arm and tore him from the embrace of the ground.

"Oh come on you **brat**!" She snarled at the soft eyed boy's limpness.

"Just leave me to die...just leave me to die..." Shinji whimpered.

Somewhere deep inside, a part of her soul felt a pang of compassion. Although he'd not been through even half the horrors she'd seen, her conscience was dragging her down as usual.

This was still the sweet boy she'd once tried to cook dinner for. He was utterly unsuited for fighting war. Tightening her grip around his arm, Asuka forcibly kept him from collapsing in a heap.

"Well sucks to be you, but I'm not going to do that. All the tears in the world aren't going to bring your _Kaworu_ back. So quit whining and get moving." She began to tug him along without much resistance.

 _He kept muttering that name in his sleep...must have been someone important._ Last night, all Asuka heard was, "I'm sorry, Kaworu", again and again.

The pace was the same as when she'd retrieved him from the plug. Shinji hadn't the motivation to walk properly, let alone resist. There were times when instinct told her to leave him behind, but Asuka had always refused to admit defeat.

Rei continued to tail the two, having said little since the previous day. Her mind was not silent however, as words repeatedly played on her mind.

 _"You're not my Rei."_

That made her feel very strange, as if something did not sit right in the very pits of her soul. Was it not entirely her purpose to **be** that Rei? If she'd failed in that respect, then...who was she?

 _Is that why I follow them now? To discover myself?_ She pondered.

Just like the day before there were no breaks, save for one halfway through, then food and resting at night. Through the open red terrain and cloudless sky, they walked to whatever destination Asuka had in mind.

Head held low, memory of a friend's gory death burned into his mind, Shinji hadn't the will to cry anymore. Never in all his cruel life had he felt so miserable and sick of himself.

They'd told him to stop, everyone there had been screaming it at him. Yet his pathetic nature would never allow something as simple as common sense to take control.

So, he'd pulled those spears out and caused another apocalypse. Misato was right, he should have stayed as far away from Eva as possible. If he'd done that, Kaworu would be alive.

His failures went further back than Fourth Impact, of course. He should never have left NERV after that battle with the Ninth Angel. Perhaps if he'd fought alongside Rei and that Mari girl things may have been different. Perhaps if he'd not sat on his indecisive backside, a certain scream wouldn't be haunting his dreams.

Yet the girl he'd so badly wronged had saved his worthless life. Did the universe have a sense of irony or something?

Despite dwelling on such things, Shinji wasn't unaware of his surroundings. Far from it, in fact he was taking in everything he could. This of course made him feel worse.

Japan, reduced to a bleached red wasteland as far as the eye could see. The soil was dry and dead, stripped of life by Impact with only the hardiest vegetation growing. The sun shone fiercely but he could feel a biting chill snatch at his cheeks and ears, his breath appearing as puffs of condensation.

 _It's so cold..._ Shinji involuntarily shivered.

The temperature had plummeted since Third Impact. Whereas once the world had been gripped by never-ending summer, it now resided in an Ice Age.

Not in a way that made any sense though. What few scientists left had long given up on understanding how Europe and Africa were now nothing but frozen tundra.

Having been born in Second Impact's shadow, Shinji was used to temperatures of thirty degrees, not almost freezing. Fortunately, his plug suit kept him warm, but his ears still felt stabbing pain. It made him wish he'd a hat in some dark recess of his mind not absorbed by self-loathing and grief.

His "handler" continued to drag him along, ignoring his limpness. Wouldn't she be better off just leaving him behind? Asuka seemed insistent though and after all he'd unwittingly done to her, he couldn't make things any more difficult.

So it was much to Asuka's concealed surprise, that his pace picked up a little. The tugging sensation on her arm slackened slightly, allowing them to move just that bit quicker.

 _Baka..._ Her constant scowl softened a little.

Quickly looking behind, Asuka found Rei effortlessly keeping pace. Though a hardened soldier, after six hours even the Eva pilot elite found herself slightly out of breath.

"Did the Empire train you as a Shock Legionnaire or something?" She grunted.

"I have not served under Lord General Saleos, although I am a third generation Nephilim." Rei answered.

At the mere mention of the name "Saleos", Asuka froze. Even Shinji, socially inept at the best of times, could see it got to her. Whatever made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, **scare her** , was an unsettling thing.

"For your own good." A lone blue sapphire murderously glowered at Rei. " **Don't mention that name again**."

* * *

Night had become arctic in nature, even during the depths of "summer." Logically, one would light a fire to keep warm but not here. That would be like sending up a flair for the Empire, practically screaming, "come and look at this!" So, they stayed cold.

It did not bother her, as was to be expected of a veteran familiar with this climate. Nevertheless, Asuka had a blanket wrapped around her young frame simply for comfort. Since a dark day some fourteen years ago, the redhead did not like being "exposed."

That ridiculous, revealing plugsuit was tied to so many bad memories. She'd been defiled in that skimpy, see-through lycra humiliation and she couldn't **bear** to feel that naked again.

Usually in any unit that made sense, people would alternate between shifts, so all could get some sleep. Understandably of course, she didn't trust her safety with a broken brat or a damned Imperial Nephilim.

So, there Asuka was. Looking up at the stars, blanket retrieved from survival bag wrapped around her. It bemused the girl to think that scarcely thirty years ago humanity believed its future lay up there. That future had been long stolen by the megalomania of her former employer.

To Shinji's credit he didn't share much DNA with his father, being too soft to be a monster. Hence how he probably didn't have much longer to live in the hell he'd unwittingly helped make.

Asuka frowned, that was a thought she didn't enjoy entertaining.

She heard him shivering on the periphery of her senses. Huddled into a ball, he was trying to keep himself as warm as possible. Even if he'd a death wish, the instinct to survive overtook all.

As for the clone, it showed no signs of discomfort, sleeping more towards the edge of their "encampment." No shuddering, no tossing or turning, just deathly stillness.

 _Fucking Third-Gens...hardly even human..._ Asuka shifted uncomfortably.

The resilience of the altered human beings was legendary, some walking away from injuries deadly to most. In the role of frontline soldiers, the Empire's mailed fists were nigh perfect for their job. As the vanguard which had been on a constant offensive for the past decade, they'd rarely been defeated.

Asuka had her survival bag directly by her feet, the black gleaming butt of a pistol jutting out of it. Ready to be drawn at a moment's notice, it gave her some comfort. And this was all over **one** sleeping Nephilim, completely discounting the thousands more Emperor Ikari had at his disposal.

She glanced at Rei again, making sure she wasn't being sneaked up on. Even after searching the _creature's_ bag at gun point, finding nothing except rations, Asuka did not trust it.

Trust had been hard to win from her, even before her life was destroyed by a ravenous monster. Now there were only three people in the world she trusted unreservedly.

 _Damn it, Mari, you're probably sitting at the Wunder's bar doing sweet nothing. As always, I get the difficult stuff..._ Sighing, Asuka tried to ignore the shivering that grated on her. Failing at this, she stalked over to the source of **many** of her troubles.

Shinji shook uncontrollably, mumbling and whimpering in his sleep. Asuka was tempted to kick him, to wake him up and make him take the watch. She raised her foot to give him a nudge, but it stopped in mid-air.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." A glistening tear trickled down his cheek.

By the time she'd returned to guard duty, his shivering had stopped. Sitting back down, Asuka continued her watch feeling a little more naked than usual. All whilst Shinji gained some modicum of cosiness due to a recently applied blanket...

* * *

The landscape of Japan had changed. Aside from all the redness, the very Earth itself had been rent asunder by the sheer power of Impact. Huge ravines had been torn through the land, toppling the mountain ranges of old.

Some of the mighty peaks that had risen from the ruins scraped the heavens in the distance. But unlike old and beautiful Mount Fuji there were no snow-capped tops, just lifeless crimson.

 _What the hell did I do to the world?_ Shinji could only look around in wide eyed horror. Enraptured by what he saw, he didn't notice that Asuka had stopped and bumped into her.

"Watch it!" She hissed, driving her free elbow into his gut. He stumbled backwards, only for her to release his hand and let him topple over. Wondering what he'd done now, he focused and realised why his "captor" had stopped so abruptly.

Directly in front of them was a thin canyon, a scar in the landscape. It was only ten feet wide…yet sixty feet deep.

 _Too far to jump, and too deep to fall. Lethal to even a Nephilim._ Asuka tutted.

Shinji remained quiet, not willing to provoke the redhead's wrath or provide his opinion. Thinking for himself hadn't gotten him far in life, the current state of Earth being evidence enough of that.

"Could we not go around?" Rei walked up to the precipice, looking down into the yawning chasm.

"Look there." Asuka pointed north and south. The crag stretched to the horizon. "That's going to take a long time to _go around_. And time is not on our side, doll. But you'd know that, which is why you want to give your Imperial friends time to catch up. We cross, there's no other way."

"I was not intending to deceive you-"

"Shut up before I make you shut up, **Imp**." Asuka grasped her pistol. Understanding, Rei backed away.

"We're going to climb. Baka here goes first." She nodded at Shinji, whose skin immediately paled. Suddenly the idea of death wasn't so appealing.

Asuka was already hauling him to the edge before he'd time to complain. Dropping him in a heap and pulling out military grade rope from her bag, she tied it around Shinji's waste.

"Hold on and don't let go." She said, sternly. Bafflement still dominated Shinji's features.

"Wha…what…"

"Climb or get left here, Gaki-Shinji."

Shinji froze for a moment, then let his brain click into gear. The friend he'd failed was giving him orders, and following orders was his profession.

He moved to the ledge. Peering down at the yawning chasm, Shinji felt his stomach drop away, but nonetheless lowered himself in. Fortunately, the ravine had plenty of rocks jutting out to cling onto. It was just a shame they were so sharp.

There was some reassurance in Asuka standing firmly by the ledge, holding the rope with experienced strength. The unwitting destroyer did wonder if she might let him drop, but that was silly. If Asuka wanted him dead, then he would be already.

At the halfway point, his plug suit had been cut through by sharp rock. A river of crimson flowed freely from his hands. Shinji ignored it, having dealt with far worse both physically and mentally in the past. Finally, ten minutes after he'd started, his feet mercifully touched the bottom.

The arduous task complete, Shinji slumped to the floor and pulled his knees together. It was the position he wished to stay in, of a person consumed by grief and guilt. His escort was having none of it, however, evidenced by a sharp tug of the rope.

"Baka! Untie the fucking rope!" Asuka snarled in frustration. The very last thing she wanted at that moment was to deal with pathetic defeatism.

 _If he really wants to play limp noodle, that's fine by me, but can't he do it somewhere else? Like,_ _ **not in the middle of Imperial territory?**_ She forced down a twitch of the eye.

However, he did as he was told. The weight on the end of the rope disappeared, allowing her to pull it back up. Asuka had the rope around Rei's waist a moment later, despite the Nephilim declaring, "this isn't required." Whilst that was likely true, Asuka could maintain control over Rei this way.

Rei descended the crevice quicker than Shinji, a testament to her Nephilim nature, Asuka mused. Her attention was split at that moment, between keeping a tight hold of the rope and a weather eye on the sky.

They'd taken too long to get across, an Imperial patrol would surely sweep over the area soon enough. And if they hadn't crossed and found a sheltered position by then, they'd be shot to pieces.

There was a tug on the rope and Asuka sighed in relief. The weight dropped off and the rope was easily hauled up again, where it could be packed away.

Lieutenant Asuka Langley Shikinami, WILLE Eva Pilot and War Heroine, didn't need help to deal with a simple rock climb. The time of her descent, was less than half of what Rei managed.

Even with her advanced biology, Asuka had strengthened her perpetually young body to its maximum potential. A regime of Europan military training had made her strong even before arriving in Japan all those years ago. Then surviving possession and infection by an Angel had made her a superhuman killing machine.

Shinji had only seen a taste of this when her fist cracked bullet proof glass on the Wunder. To be frank, if she'd really wanted to hurt him, nothing in that room could have stopped her.

Seeing Asuka land perfectly, copper hair billowing out behind her, was further proof that he breathed at her mercy. So why she'd elected to save him, when he'd earned himself a slow death, was beyond Shinji.

Asuka scanned the bottom of the ravine, ready to put hot lead in the Nephilim if it wasn't in visual. But it seemed the Empire had programmed some sense into the albino's mind, as Rei patiently stood waiting for her.

"Alright, that was the easy part. I'll climb up the other side, throw the rope down for you both, and then you come up one at a time. The idiot first." Asuka pointed at Shinji, who remained huddled up. Noticing her attention, he wearily got to his feet and shuffled over to her.

 _Well aren't you just an obedient little dog?_

The climb up was little trouble for Asuka, even with ascending being more difficult than descending. About three quarters of the way up, she came across an outcrop, large enough to hold multiple people. Pulling herself on to it, she realised this lead into a very deep cave system.

"Not a bad spot for a break." Asuka mused aloud. Securing herself there, she unravelled her rope and threw it back down. It was with some satisfaction she saw the "soft eyed idiot" limply grab hold of it. A while later, too long for her liking, she hauled him onto the outcrop.

"I thought we were going to the surface?" Shinji murmured, his voice as dead as his eyes.

"We will. This is just a good place to catch our breath, out of sigh from anyone looking for us." Asuka dismissed him, already focused on helping Rei up.

"Looking for us…you mean my father?" Shinji's fist clenched at the mere thought.

"Who else, Baka?"

"S-Sorry-"

"Ugh, don't whine, that makes me sick."

As expected, Rei was quicker than her progenitor's child. Asuka could tell by simply looking at her climb, that she'd had military training. Underneath that black plug suit was a well-kept individual. Not through their own volition of course, as if Ayanami series could think for themselves…

 _One did._ Asuka's memory harshly reminded, offended by forgetting an old comrade.

 _Yeah, that one did._ She conceded, the thought weighing heavily on her soul.

The original Rei Ayanami hadn't been someone Asuka had "liked", but she'd appreciated her. Eventually, just before it all went so wrong, a healthy respect had been fostered. If by some miracle things hadn't gone as horribly as they did, Asuka reckoned they may have become friends.

The First Child's pale imitation asked no questions. She made no attempt to escape into the tunnels, instead choosing to stay put. Moving away from the ledge so as not to pushed off, Asuka pulled the remaining rope up.

Bundling it into her bag, her ears twitched. A distant roar was becoming louder and louder. Hairs rising on her nape, Asuka grabbed both her charges, threw them around the corner, and whipped out her pistol. She pressed Rei against the wall and jammed it into her chin.

"What…what are you-" Shinji gaped.

"Shut it. Not a word until I say so." Asuka hissed.

The roaring drew closer, transitioning into the unmistakeable sound of VTOL engines. A ghostly white spotlight swept over the ravine, causing chills to run down Shinji's spine. Instinct was his ally here, and it told him he didn't want to be found by that light.

The cone of light swept away, but the sound of twin VTOL thrusters did not. Directly above them, the sound intensified to such a degree that he had to cover his ears. Then it mercifully cut out.

He relaxed, only to see that Asuka had grown stiffer. Military boots crunching on the ground and safeties being clicked off elicited a similar reaction in him. Whoever was sweeping this area was directly looking into the cavern itself, for them most likely.

 _They'll see the edge…they'll see the cave…_ He fought to control his breathing.

"Pop a flashbang!" A grizzled voice, one that belonged to whoever oversaw this particular search, growled. There was a metallic click as a pin was pulled, and a cannister was thrown into the cave. Asuka and Rei snapped their eyes shut on reflex, but Shinji kept his wide open in shock and inexperience. The furious flash of white light forced him to slap his hands over his face to keep himself from screaming. For a few petrifying moments, he couldn't see.

There was a whizz of wire and the crunch of two pairs of feet landing on the outcrop. Despite the flashbang, Asuka's pistol remained in Rei's jaw, finger on trigger. Ghostly blue energy discharge illuminated the cavern save for the corner they hid in to a chorus of electronic thuds.

"If they were here, sir, they'd be long gone by now." Another voice called out, clearly into his radio. "Understood, returning to the surface."

The wires whizzed again. Engines roared back to life, and scarcely twenty seconds later the VTOL took off. Finally, after what seemed like an age, Asuka lowered her pistol.

"An Imperial patrol. It is unlikely that they will not find you." Rei noted.

"Don't make me regret not shooting you." Asuka hissed, turning her attention to Shinji. Free of danger, he'd slumped to the floor, whimpering. Rocking backwards and forwards, his hands remained clamped over his face.

"I can't see…I can't see…" He sobbed uncontrollably. Firmly and swiftly, Asuka crouched to his level and tore his hands away. She cupped both his cheeks with her fingers, then forced him to look at her.

"Keep them open. It'll pass in time." They stayed that way for a while, until those cerulean orbs finally managed to refocus. Shinji's breathing slowed to a normal speed.

Asuka released his cheeks and stood up. She sighed deeply, in annoyance or relief he wasn't sure. "In future, don't just stare wide eyed at a flashbang, **Baka**."

"Th-thank you…Shikinami-san." Shinji barely had time to mutter before she hauled him to his feet.

"We're pushing on into the tunnel system." She rummaged through her bag, pulling out two torches. The oldest looking one, she gave to him. For a moment his addled by grief mind struggled to understand her meaning. Realising, he fumbled for the torch button and illuminated the darkness ahead of them.

 _At least she isn't making me walk in the dark._ Shinji made a weak smile, amused by how something so trivial concerned him.

It had always been this way, the small things consumed him whilst he largely ignored greater goings on. This unfortunate habit led to self-absorption, and an incapability to put himself in others shoes or understand their plight.

It was all brought to the forefront on that awful day with the 9th and 10th Angels. His own fear stopped him saving Asuka, his own rage stopped him from being there to help Rei. In his eyes, it was all his fault.

That was why things kept going to hell around him, he thought. His utter inability to focus on the big picture, instead of his _stupid_ feelings.

"Hey!" Asuka's fingers clicked in front of his eyes, causing Shinji to blink. "Don't go all thousand-yard stare on me. Move." She gave him a shove.

"What about her?" He nodded at Rei, who stood quietly in the corner. "Doesn't she get a torch-"

Asuka cuffed him around the ears.

"Just accept it, stupid Shinji. I've only got two, and good God I'm not giving her a nice solid hunk of metal to kill us in our sleep with. Now move!" She set her single sapphire gaze on Rei, hand reaching into survival belt and gripping her pistol. " **Both of you.** "

* * *

 _December 28th, old Aichi Prefecture_

Shinji had never been more thankful to see the sun again. That great, golden, life giving fruit gently touched his cheek with its warmth.

Down there in the dark, he'd jumped at every shadow. Childhood fears of what went bump in the night resurfaced and he found himself sleeping close to Asuka. The one person with a gun.

He'd been a bit embarrassed to ask if there were monsters in the dark places of the world. Considering everything he'd seen however, it was pertinent even by her standards. With much-needed humour, Asuka assured him that the only scary monster down here was herself.

A foggy mist had descended upon the land, near thick enough to cut. Fortunately, they'd exited the cave system at a vantage point, a mountain outcrop.

What arose from the mist below boggled the minds of Asuka and Shinji. Gargantuan blocky buildings jutted upwards, massive black banners with NERV's red leaf upon them hanging from their sides.

"An Imperial city…I didn't think one would be this impressive." Asuka scanned the area with her single eye, taking in as much as possible.

"Nithiel" Rei whispered.

"What?" Asuka whirled around to look at her.

"Nithiel. That is the name of this city, one of the first the Empire constructed." Rei elaborated.

"Huh. Nithiel…what is it with the Commander and Hebrew names?" Asuka shook her head. Even the most common soldier of Persto or the Commonwealth was aware of NERV's fascination with Hebrew mythology. It was bizarre, the culture of Japan was alien in comparison. Why the Emperor had such a fondness for it baffled most. Asuka, however, had her own theory.

 _He thinks it sounds cool. There probably isn't any deeper reason for it._ She had to suppress a slight smile.

"We'll have to go straight through." Asuka ruminated.

Shinji took a long look at the misty valley.

"What is all this…" He whispered, not really to anyone.

Asuka flashed a confused look at him, then fixed her gaze on Rei.

"Is there anything else I should know?" She said icily.

"The security of this city is the standard configuration of any in the Empire. Five thousand Law Enforcement Officers, one hundred Section-2 members and a garrison regiment. I am not sure how you intend to evade that…" Rei glanced at Nithiel, knowing what was waiting for them down there.

Rescue lay that way. It would be easy to raise the alarm, to have this enemy of NERV apprehended.

 _Yet…I cannot bring myself to do this…why do I not want to go back?_ Her sky blue eyebrows furrowed microscopically.

Asuka sighed, annoyed yet intrigued.

"They'd see us if we went around. Going straight through is our best bet. Maybe…there's probably a car or a truck I could hotwire. Do ordinary people in the Empire even have cars?" She directed at the clone again.

"Few have personal vehicles. Those of a military nature however are numerous." Rei answered nonchalantly.

 _Why…why am I telling her all this? Why do I trust this enemy more than my own father?_

Running a hand through her copper hair, Asuka spent another minute or two staring at the city. Intelligence on ordinary life within with the Empire was scarce. This was something that needed reporting to Misato when she got back to the Wunder.

Especially when one accounted for the vast industrial complexes, smoke stacks equalling the scrapers in size, within the city itself. As if it were built with a specific purpose in mind.

"Alright, let's move." Asuka grabbed Rei by the arm and pressed the barrel of her pistol into the girl's side. "Stay close to me." She nodded at Shinji, then pushed into the mist.

* * *

They were like ghosts, slipping through the deathly quiet and unmoving metropolis. Off every one of the grey, utilitarian buildings, the great black banners of the NERV Empire hung. It was ironic how the symbol of totalitarian cruelty had once been that of an organization protecting the world.

This was the vision of Gendo Ikari's perfect world, or at least Asuka hoped. If global Imperial domination was not his end goal, whatever it really was made her tremble.

The man was ruthless, horror stories of Section-2's activities filtering through enemy lines being testament enough of that. Then of course there was her own disaster with Unit 03. His orders had been specific: "destroy the 9th Angel." It seemed the thought of rescuing the black Evangelion's hapless pilot hadn't even crossed his mind.

 _And now the very same man rules one of the largest Empire's in history and is hell bent on taking the world by force. Humanity just can't catch a break, can it?_ Her concealed eye throbbed at the mere memory of those orange tinted glasses. Asuka shook it away and called the group to a halt just behind a street corner.

"Clone." She growled at Rei. "You know this place's name. Is there anything else? Where is everyone?"

"I am not aware of police or garrison patrols, or the exact layout of the city. The populace is under curfew at the moment, they are let out for work shifts." Rei filled in as best she could.

Asuka grunted, unsurprised. The Nephilim was a tool to be discarded once its purpose was fulfilled, not a valued military asset. In Emperor Ikari's eyes, giving it any extensive intel would be wasteful.

So why she kept the clone around, Asuka had little idea. She should have killed it on sight, this thing that was useless to her, yet she'd hesitated. For although this terrible war had persisted for a decade, she remembered the old rules.

Those who surrendered were to be given quarter without exception.

Pushing all that out of mind, Asuka beckoned for them to follow her across the street. They reached a dark and dank alley, hearing water drip from broken and rusting pipes. Shinji wondered if this was the true face of the city. Behind all the grand scenery and banners, was there nothing but decay?

He kept quiet and hunched, exactly as Asuka had demanded. It had been made very clear that if he was caught he'd be left behind. If his father was half the monster Shinji reckoned, then that was a frightening prospect indeed.

Asuka's hand snapped up, a silent command for them to stop. Moments later she bustled the two into a corner as the ground started rumbling.

Shinji kept his mouth clamped shut. Caterpillar tracked armoured vehicles, tanks, roared past, hundreds of boots marching in step with them. He couldn't see them, but the cacophony was one anybody born in the shadow of Second Impact knew well.

 _How many people alive today know this sound?_ He only just managed to suppress the crushing rush of guilt.

The patrol mercifully passed, but someone talking over the radio had stayed close by. He was blocking their way out.

Asuka's eye narrowed. Putting her pistol back into her bag, she drew out a vicious looking combat knife.

The experienced soldier slipped out from the shadows. A man with grey greatcoat and peaked cap stood with his back to her, holding an assault rifle. He was speaking into a mouthpiece clasped to his ear, something about "nothing to report." Clearly, he was a member of the Imperial Police Force on routine patrol.

 _Really should have taken the day off, Imp._ Her subconscious snarled.

With deathly silence, she closed the distance. In a flash, her left hand clamped down on the man's mouth as she drove a knife into his jugular. Crimson issued from his neck in tandem with a dying gurgle.

Asuka hauled the body back into the shadows and stuffed it under some pipes. Ignoring Shinji's widened eyes, she beckoned him and the clone to follow her out into the main street.

Fifteen minutes later, after she'd sliced one or two more throats, they'd found a vehicle. It was a troop transport, armour plated and bulky, capable of carrying an infantry squad.

Through the nominally bulletproof glass, Asuka could see two men. Their white armour made them unmistakeable, they were Imperial Army.

 _She's going to kill them…_ Shinji felt his mouth dry up as he looked at the two men. They seemed to be chatting amicably about things he would never know, blissfully unaware of their imminent demise. Asuka had already drawn out her high powered, silenced pistol, and levelled it at the side window.

 _Two heads, one shot. Shouldn't be too hard._ She squinted down the sights, aiming as perfectly as she could before opening fire.

Glass cracked, and red gore was spattered across the windows without even a shriek of surprise. That was six men she'd killed today, nothing but child's play to her.

"Cross the street and wait for me behind that corner. If I'm not there in five minutes…eh, you're dead anyway." Asuka ushered them on then quickly darted to the van. With the windows already smashed, it was no difficulty shoving her arm through and unlocking the driver side door. She almost laughed in surprise at the "keys" (a USB stick of some sort) in the ignition. Imperial safety protocol had certainly been ignored that day.

The ageless girl didn't care though. Stealing this van would have been pathetically easy if that was her goal.

Tramping Imperial jackboots and rumbling armour were echoing across the empty street, forcing her to hurry. Asuka turned the engine on, pressed the deceased driver's foot down on the accelerator, then threw herself off. The van picked up speed quickly, the enemy already shouting and calling as it hurtled towards them.

There was energy weapons discharge, the sick thuds of hard metal hitting flesh at speed, then an ear-splitting explosion. By then, Asuka had already regrouped with her two hiding prisoners.

"What…what's happened…" Shinji stammered, gunfire being enough to snap anyone out of a stupor.

"No time, brat, we have to go." Asuka growled, already pounding down the road. Then, to her frustration, she realised he'd frozen.

Whilst Rei had kept up with her, Shinji was rooted to the spot. Out of the carnage she'd created emerged moving pillars of flame, stumbling and staggering about. He was unable to take his eyes off fellow human beings burning to death, unable to block out their agony.

Asuka clamped her hand over his mouth before he could scream and hauled him away into another alley. Somewhere in the middle of it she found what she was looking for. Over an unimportant manhole, frustratingly absent in the city so far, she released Shinji and tore its cover off. The pungent smell of Nithiel's sewer system wafted up from below.

"Get in." She hissed at Shinji and Rei. They stared at her, one unsure of what to do, the other horrified by both death and stench.

"I don't care what you smell, get in, **Gaki-Shinji.** " Grabbing him by the scruff of the neck, Asuka threw him in. She then glared at Rei, who managed to force down her own wrinkled nose.

"You do not require force for this operation." Rei jumped down the manhole, feeling regret for the first time in her life.

Sirens wailed across the city, orders were barked, and hundreds of soldiers stormed the streets. This total chaos was more than Asuka could have hoped for.

She dragged the manhole cover just over the edge of the manhole, not covering it, then hopped in. Jutting her feet out, she stopped her decent. With enhanced muscles, she reached up and pulled the manhole cover back into place, leaving the Imperials none the wiser.

Asuka made a great splash when she landed, muck and filth being sprayed everywhere. She knew some of it had got in her beloved mane and only an hour-long shower would get it out. Alas, she couldn't dwell on such things.

All things considered, the other two had landed quite well. Rei was already standing, and Shinji had taken steps to not go face first into _Imperial shit_. Nevertheless, he was limp by the standards of an eel.

 _Eel…just another extinct species._

The wildlife of planet Earth was almost all gone now. Only the hardiest of creatures survived, mostly insects or one or two species of birds. There were distant reports of Elephant herds roaming North Africa, but little else.

Even as someone who'd never been bothered by Mother Nature, Asuka couldn't help but feel sorrow for what was lost. Mercifully, some species of plant had survived somehow. As if mankind wasn't lucky enough, scientists of years past had the accidental foresight to preserve desperately needed crop seeds. Grown underground, these were vital to stopping Mankind starving to death.

Non-synthesized greenery on the plate was a luxury, eaten by the rich and powerful. As for everyone else, disgusting protein paste was the order of the day. Strawberry flavour (not real, of course. Those hadn't grown in fourteen years) was the most bearable for Asuka. The ageless girl remembered the last time she'd tasted the actual things, just before her fateful synchronization with Unit 03...

"I had thought the plan was to acquire a vehicle?" Rei frowned microscopically.

"No. I just told you that in case the Empire got you back." Asuka dismissively waved her hand, admitting her lie. The disturbing thing to Shinji was how he wasn't sure to whom she was referring, himself or the echo of his loved one?

"How…how can you be so cold." His whisper was tinged with horror. This was not the person he'd known in Tokyo-3, Asuka wouldn't have done this. Angry as she'd been, the redhead wouldn't have hurt anyone like that, let alone…kill.

A single sapphire fixed him with a searing gaze. He was turning his nose up at her, as if she were some sort of disgusting monster.

 _Well he's not wrong, I am an abomination…but it's not all my fault._ Asuka stormed towards him and pointed a threatening finger in his face.

"I don't enjoy this, I never have and I never will. This is what it's taken to survive, through things you can't imagine. So, don't you **dare** look down on me. **Especially when you're the one who made this all happen!** " Asuka snarled and viciously jabbed him in the shoulder, knocking him off his feet.

Shinji collapsed into the sewage, becoming covered in filth. He met her gaze for a moment, then let his pathetically fall.

Forcing her temper down, Asuka felt some regret over that loss of control. Once, she'd had it in spades, especially when Eva Corps had been at full strength. Now, with that unit completely destroyed, it had slowly slipped through her fingers.

Asuka knew she'd regressed as a person. She'd returned to the days of waking up in this unrecognisable world, after the idiot had broken her body. After Mari had rescued her from the life of a lab rat…

In many ways, the ageless child had been more tolerant before Unit 03 and that awful cracking noise than she was now. Grunting, Asuka grabbed the despondent Shinji by the shoulder and hauled him to his feet.

"Killing is something we just have to do now. We're at war…and war shows no mercy." She said softly as she could, yet even then there was a hint of harshness in her tone.

Head still hung low and unmoving, Shinji sighed. "Where are we going now?"

"East. That way." She pointed down the sewer. "Or at least as best we can. Getting out of the city is our priority for now."

"And then where?"

Asuka gave him an icy look that ordered him to shut up. "Just do as I tell you."


End file.
